Safe

Imagine becoming allergic to everything you enjoy: Clothes, food, sex, friends... Welcome to the '20th century illness'. A terrifying reflection of society's deepest fears, Safe is a chilling environmental horror story where the enemy lurks in the very air that we breathe. Oscar nominee Julianne Moore (Far from heaven, the hours) gives an astonishing performance as Carol White, a typically bored, affluent Californian housewife whose carefully controlled domestic environment suddenly turns against her. Gradually she develops nose bleeds, vomiting and breathing problems before finally collapsing. In desperation to remain 'Safe' from her allergies she opts for the virtual isolation of a porcelain igloo in the Texan desert where the inhabitants drag around oxygen cylinders and therapists behave like preachers. Written and directed by Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine, Far from heaven), this is the film that helped propel Julianne Moore from relative unknown to the Hollywood 'A' List, and was hailed as "the most astonishing film of the year" by The Independent.